Chapter 40

The two apprentice brothers exchanged a knowing look, nodded at Tuoba Jie, and went out to attend to their respective duties. By the time they returned, Tuoba Jie had already memorized all forty-nine archery and martial arts stances contained within the bronze lock.

"We must withdraw! The wind is far too strong right now, and our soldiers are utterly exhausted. It is simply impossible to organize an effective defense. We might as well fall back first!" Although Jing Xiang was resourceful, he was entirely at his wits' end in such a situation.

Therefore, when Murong Detao and Wudier sneaked into the Khan's mansion by night, Murong Lan already knew they were after the Mandarin Duck Bronze Lock. However, she had also spotted Leng Rufeng, which was why she had chosen not to reveal herself.

"Thank you, Brother Lu, for saving my life." With that, Uncle Eagle bestowed upon Lu Yu the highest-ranking warrior salute.

After a moment, her gaze finally grew complex yet calm as she looked at Lin Yi, though her long eyelashes trembled slightly.

"The Azure Shell of the Mysterious Turtle Warding the Astral Tribulation: Primal Steel Vigor!" This torrential offensive technique opened Liu Zongding's eyes and forced an instant reaction. With a single hand, his "Longing" blade carved a prison into the earth, while his palm channeled the Daoist scriptures into the empty air. The azure-veined turtle shell manifested, and the profound steel vigor infused the martial path.

Lu Yu inspected his internal condition. Following this discovery, he vaguely sensed that this might be related to the unusually high concentration of spiritual energy of heaven and earth within this cavern.

The old man was suddenly stunned. He had lived over a hundred years ago, and in his era, people indeed used courtesy names.

A poem says: Heaven generates no nameless grass, and the path of immortality bears no useless elixir; all things in this world can be tamed, yet no matter how high the level, it remains in vain.

Before Ye Haochuan could figure out why she had come looking for him, how could he let her leave just like that? With a meteor-like stride, he materialized right before her.

"We must leave!" the commander replied decisively and forcefully, his eyes revealing an unwavering and resolute attitude toward the matter.

"How dare you!" Yao Muchen panicked. With a flick of his wrist, five flying arrows whistled toward the massive black eagle. The arrows emitted a sharp, piercing sound as they tore through the air, instantly overtaking the menacing giant bird. Swish! The five flying arrows pierced straight through, pulling out a long spray of blood that bloomed in the sky.

Heavy-duty trucks could not enter the muddy roads of Longjia Village. Fortunately, one of Long Kun's buddies managed to find five Shifeng three-wheeled agricultural vehicles. Combined with his own, there were six in total. They divided the cement evenly among the six vehicles, and the drivers hauled the cement back.

The others remained tight-lipped, watching the vibrating rock ground with nervous expressions, their eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.

Li-shang served a tray holding two cups of tea. The tea leaves were Longjing, a gift from someone who had once worked under her grandfather.

Yadong asked Xifei with a darkened face, "Sister Xifei, do you still remember the reason you rejected my eldest brother back then?" The two hands with which Xifei had been gripping Yadong's arm suddenly released him. Her face twitched a few times as she stared at him in utter shock.

After a month of effort, the prototype of the bronze cannon demanded by Lixin had finally taken shape. Lixin hurried over to the bronze-casting shed. At a glance, the bronze cannon looked extremely crude, and the interior of the barrel was equally rough, but he decided to test it first to see the effect.

Sizong fell silent. One had to understand that the entire city's police force was genuinely hunting Wang Feng down, not just putting on an act. They had seen people who weren't afraid of death, but they had truly never seen anyone this fearless. Still, Sizong understood that since Wang Feng dared to stay behind, he naturally possessed one hundred percent confidence in his heart.

"Never mind the furnace! Help me channel the purple fire together! Kill—" Bloodshot light erupted from Yao Muchen's eyes as he poured all his might into driving the fire seed to assault the protective barrier of the Divine Bone Fan.

"Let's make it nine o'clock! It's better to go early and return early." Long Kun also grabbed a chair and sat down close to them, casually grabbing a handful of melon seeds from the tray and cracking them open.

While Ye Xiu was driving and pondering, Su Qingqing—who along the way had disdained speaking to him—suddenly chimed in with a playful tone.

Qingming's eyes were filled with panic and incomprehension, though Chen Fangping could not see this scene because he was already floating on air due to Xixia's proactive display of vulnerability.

"Master, the reason I do not wish to fight you is because I once believed in Buddhism myself, and thus I wish not to slaughter those who have taken monastic vows. Not fighting you is not out of fear."

Shen Xing was the first to bring the matter up, making it clear that he intended to mediate. The moment the two heard him, they understood tacitly and swallowed back all the carefully prepared rhetoric they had previously harbored in their bellies.

Excluded from the sweet interaction between mother and son, Fu Jincheng gave a light cough to make his presence known.

Because he was holding back a breath of frustration in his heart, he failed to control his voice in his throat and shouted it right out.

Who knew how much time had passed before Su倪's phone buzzed incessantly on the bedside table, sounding exceptionally harsh in the quiet night.

"Mother Xing is drinking coffee." Xu Minghao had already noticed Qi Sha's eager gaze, and he needed to nip the hope in her heart straight in the bud.

The Left Chancellor's heart skipped a beat. Upon deeper reflection, a sudden chill crept over him, and cold sweat streamed down his spine.

After school began, Second Uncle Gu deposited a substantial sum of money into Gu Yu's account, representing his dividends for several months.

"Yet, I am willing to wait for you—wait for the day you finally walk out of the shadows." I tightly grasped Qin Mengdie's hand, refusing to let her leave.

She felt no jealousy, for when Chen Yang made the decision to undergo reincarnation, he had thought of them. At that time, he felt that no matter what, they would remain safe and sound. As for him, he had to do something for his deceased wife and child.

A wisp of purple mist swirled at the center of the halo, shooting straight forward. Qin Yu's longsword felt as though it had sunk into a quagmire, unable to twitch even an inch further. In the nick of time, his eyes narrowed, and with decisive resolve, he hurled the person in his arms backward.

Johnny woke up to find himself inside a white plastic tent with intravenous lines plugged into his body, apparently infusing him with some kind of medication. Johnny sat up and felt a spasm in his stomach. Perhaps the movement was too loud, as the sound of a door opening came from the entrance.

"You... shameless!" Bai Muqing cursed in exasperation, then snatched up her phone and hung up the call.

This process was bound by a time limit—one hundred thousand years. Once a plant's lifespan reached one hundred thousand years, it could evolve the sentience of a demonic beast and even gain mobility. Yet, the plants capable of reaching this stage were pitifully few.

"So, you are saying that the Primordial Emperor was right, and I was wrong?" King Ape suddenly asked Chen Yang.

Xuanxue and Xuanning sensed the scent vanishing right then and there. They exchanged a puzzled glance, both completely baffled.

"Commander..." Chief of Staff Li Xiangyun choked out the two words with difficulty, as if he had a thousand things to say, yet he was too overwhelmed by the spectacle to utter them.